The Spidey search is over. Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures have announced that The Impossible star Tom Holland will be taking over the role of Peter Parker and his web-slinging superhero alter ego in the next Spider-Man film, which set to hit theatres on July 28, 2017. Jon Watts, who directed the indie thriller Cop Car, will direct the as-yet-untitled film. The character is also expected appear in one or more upcoming Avengers-related movies. Sony Pictures has promised a new creative direction for this latest reboot of the character. Since 2002, there have been five films in the series. The first three starred Tobey Maguire as the wall-crawler. Andrew Garfield took over for the two most recent films, which were poorly received. Holland, a 19-year-old English actor, also appeared in the film Locke and the TV series Wolf Hall. He can be seen this December in Ron Howard's "In the Heart of the Sea." – AP
Paris Hilton’s little brother arrested
Police say Paris Hilton’s younger brother, Conrad, has been arrested at his ex-girlfriend’s Hollywood Hills home on suspicion of violating a restraining order. Officer Liliana Preciado says the woman called police on Monday afternoon to say he was trying to gain access to her property. The 21-year-old was taken into custody, then released on US$5,000 (Dh18,000) bail. Preciado says a court order banned Hilton from contacting his ex-girlfriend or members of her family. Hilton is the great-grandson of hotel magnate Conrad Hilton. He was sentenced this month to community service, a fine and mental health and substance-abuse treatment for disrupting a British Airways flight last July. – AP
Diddy was ‘just defending himself’ during incident that led to arrest
Sean “Diddy” Combs was defending himself during an incident at the University of California, Los Angeles, that led to his arrest, according to a representative for the hip-hop mogul. “The various accounts of the event and charges that are being reported are wholly inaccurate,” said Nathalie Moar. “What we can say now is that any actions taken by Mr Combs were solely defensive in nature to protect himself and his son.” Combs was arrested Monday for an alleged assault involving a weight-room kettlebell at the athletic facilities of UCLA, where his son plays football. The 45-year-old was freed a few hours later after posting bail. University police allege three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of making terrorist threats and one count of battery, UCLA said. “We are confident that once the true facts are revealed, the case will be dismissed,” Moar said. No details were given about who was allegedly assaulted or what led to it. No one was seriously injured, police said. Combs’ son, Justin Combs, is a redshirt junior defensive back on the UCLA football team, which has been working out on campus. He has played in just a handful of games in his three years with the team. The son of another rap star also plays football for the Bruins – Snoop Dogg’s son Cordell Broadus is a wide receiver who signed with the team this year. The arrest, first reported by TMZ, is the latest of several allegations of violence against Combs. He was acquitted of bribery and weapons-related charges in connection with a 1999 shooting at a New York nightclub. He was arrested in 1999 for his involvement in the beating of former Interscope executive Steve Stoute in New York. Combs apologised, the charges were reduced, and he was ordered to attend an anger management class. Combs and Stoute have since mended their relationship, appearing on stage together at Cannes in 2013. Earlier this year, an Arizona man accused Combs of punching him in the face at a Super Bowl party. Combs was not arrested. – AP
Actress calls for action to raise ebola awareness
Actress and activist Olivia Wilde is campaigning to remind the world that the Ebola crisis is far from over. The 31-year-old actress, who appeared in the TV medical drama House and soon will soon be seen in the Christmas-holiday comedy movie Love The Coopers, visited the US Mission to the United Nations on Tuesday in a different role – as executive producer of the award-winning short documentary on Ebola, Body Team 12. She told about 100 ambassadors and diplomats that the film about a volunteer team collecting bodies at the height of the Ebola crisis in Liberia, touches on two issues that she cares deeply about: the rights of women and community health workers around the world, particularly in West Africa. The Ebola epidemic has killed more than 11,100 people, mainly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. – AP
Justin Bieber security guard jailed over incident in which he took camera from photographer
A security guard for Justin Bieber who took a camera from a photographer has been ordered to serve 45 days in jail. Hugo Hesny, 33, was indicted in March 2014 on charges of robbery and entering a vehicle in connection with the episode in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs last year. Under a deal reached with prosecutors, he pleaded no contest last week to two misdemeanour counts of disorderly conduct. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville ordered him to serve 45 days in jail, followed by 22 months and 15 days on probation, as well as to perform 200 hours of community service. Hesny was sentenced under Georgia’s first-offender statute, meaning it won’t appear as a conviction in his criminal history after he completes the terms of his sentence. Photographer Jason Winslow told police he was trying to take photos of Bieber outside an arcade in Sandy Springs in February last year when Hesny told him to leave. Winslow said Hesny chased him, cut him off, opened the door of Winslow’s vehicle and took his camera. Hesny initially told police he didn’t take the camera but after officers found it in an SUV used by the singer’s entourage, Hesny said he wanted only to delete photos taken outside the arcade. In another case, a photographer accused Hesny of grabbing him by the neck and pushing him outside The Hit Factory recording studio in Miami in June 2013. – AP
